Everything You Should Know About Hair Shadowing

Highlights and balayage are surefire ways to add some life to a hairstyle; but what if your client doesn’t want to take a walk on the lighter side? Shadowing could be the solution.

Tom Connell, hair art director at Davines, developed shadowing, a new color technique meant to “give depth and movement using dark tones.”

Bold Browns

In his collection, “Shadow Prints,” Connell enhances brown hair by placing the dark and richer shades close to the face and skin, while the lighter tones, which traditionally frame the face, cover the rest of the head.

For stylists looking to care for colored brown hair, Connell suggests the Alchemic Shampoo Chocolate and Alchemic Conditioner Chocolate, both by Davines, to brighten up a dark brown. These products contain colored pigments that help keep the dark color looking fresh and bright. He also recommends The Restless Circle, an invisible hair mask that gives the hair body, breakage protection and extreme moisture.

Going for Gray

When it comes to shadowing gray, Connell explains, “Playing with different shades of gray and adding darker sections in unexpected areas creates movement and depth to the look. The key to this technique is creating darker sections that enhance the rest of the color, generating a visual effect where the lighter gray is brighter, and the hair looks thicker. In this technique, the greater the tone difference, the more visible the contrast.”

Connell cautions against developing warm tones in both natural and colored gray hair. To help neutralize yellow and maintain a crisp, cool gray, Connell recommends coloring with Mask with Vibrachrom Natural Intense Cold from Davines as well as the brand’s Alchemic Shampoo Silver and Alchemic Conditioner Silver.